Series: Drinking Water Quality

M.K DeSantis, Pegasus Technical Services for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Drinking water quality varies across in Wisconsin. In communities with public utilities, drinking water is subject to disparate levels of treatment depending on local needs and budget concerns. Nearly one million households get their water from private wells, which depend on property owners for monitoring and treatment. Across the state, many natural processes and human activities can introduce pathogens and chemical contaminants into water supplies. Wherever their drinking water comes from, Wisconsinites can use various resources to better understand and improve its quality.

PFAS 'Forever Chemicals,' Explained

Audio:

Rob Ferrett

Wisconsin Public Radio

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PFAS "forever chemicals" have become a fixture of public attention and policymakers are taking steps to address their use. UW-Madison civil and environmental engineering professor Christy Remucal discusses what is known about PFAS and the risks associated with them.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

DNR Directs Johnson Controls To Expand Drinking Water Sampling For PFAS

Audio:

Danielle Kaeding

Wisconsin Public Radio

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The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is directing a Marinette manufacturer of firefighting foam to expand its investigation of drinking water that might be contaminated by so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Series: Waukesha And Lake Michigan Water

Research Finds Rising Radium Levels In Wisconsin Groundwater

Audio:

Danielle Kaeding

Wisconsin Public Radio

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Researchers with UW-Madison and others analyzed groundwater data collected by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources from 2000 to 2018. They found radium levels were trending upward in wells drawing from a regional aquifer underlying the southern two-thirds of the state.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Study: Human Waste Still Contaminating Private Wells In Southwest Wisconsin

Audio:

Hope Kirwan

Wisconsin Public Radio

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Human waste continues to be a prominent source of contamination in private wells located in Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties, with the Southwestern Wisconsin Groundwater and Geology study finding microbes in human feces in 12 of 34 wells sampled in November 2019.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Elevated PFAS Levels Found In Marinette Wells Nearby Fields Spread With Sludge

Audio:

Danielle Kaeding

Wisconsin Public Radio

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A Marinette manufacturer of firefighting foam will provide bottled water for homeowners after their private wells were found to have elevated levels of so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Foam Manufacturer Says Most Marinette Wells Tested So Far Turned Up No PFAS

Audio:

Danielle Kaeding

Wisconsin Public Radio

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A manufacturer of firefighting foam says the majority of more than 250 drinking water wells it's tested in Marinette County turned up no trace of toxic chemicals known as PFAS. But state regulators say it's too early to tell the scope of PFAS contamination within drinking water in the area.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Marinette Firefighting Foam Manufacturer Refuses To Test More Wells For PFAS

Audio:

Danielle Kaeding

Wisconsin Public Radio

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A Marinette manufacturer of firefighting foam says it won't test 500 private wells for PFAS contamination beyond its fire training facility after state regulators said the company failed to complete work as part of an ongoing investigation.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Wisconsin Leads 22-State Coalition For Federal PFAS Standards In Drinking Water

Audio:

Danielle Kaeding

Wisconsin Public Radio

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WPR

Attorney General Josh Kaul announced Wisconsin is leading a coalition of 22 states in supporting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's preliminary decision to regulate so-called "forever chemicals" known as PFAS in drinking water.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Viruses Can Take Many Routes Into Wisconsin Groundwater

Karen Faster

WisContext

Leaky sewer pipes might be the source of viruses found in drinking water that Wisconsin municipalities draw from bedrock aquifers 800 feet below ground..

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Tracking Sources Of Fecal Contamination In Drinking Water

Karen Faster

WisContext

Waterborne pathogens can cycle between the environment and their human and animal hosts, causing illness in people and spreading disease between households. To determine how fecal matter contaminates groundwater, scientists use indicators that specify the source, identifying it as human or animal waste.